Pumpkin seeds; an alternate and sustainable source of bioactive compounds and nutritional food formulations

Increasing health awareness in the public and consumption of foods capable of promoting health has raised the use of fruits and vegetables seeds loaded with of nutritional contents and phytochemicals. In this regard, pumpkin seeds have now been found a valuable byproduct of pumpkin processing industry. The aim of this review paper is to summarize the evidence-based data on the possible use of pumpkin seeds as nutritional and functional food ingredients in different food formulations, collected from verified electronic data bases during the last 10 years. Further, this review concentrated on synthesizing scientific information that examines pumpkin seeds nutritional and bioactive contents and their potential as a functional food ingredient. We give a thorough description of the chemical make-up, phytochemical contents and biological activities of pumpkin seeds, as well as the procedures used in its processing and current applications. A wide range of bakery, dairy, confectionary, snack and meat products have been found developed so far, through incorporation of pumpkin seeds in different forms (whole seeds, powders, extracts, seed oils, seed starches). Proteins with high class peptides, enzymes and amino acids, fats and oils with essential oils and polyunsaturated fatty acids, dietary fibers, essential macro and micro minerals and wide range of fat- and water-soluble vitamins are among the major nutritional contents found in pumpkin seeds. While polyphenols, carotenoids and phytosterols are major bioactives of pumpkin seeds with hundreds of secondary metabolites. Pumpkin seeds due to high nutritional contents and loads of bioactives, could be promoted for extensive research.